


The Cat Returns

by stultiloquent



Series: Cats!Jason [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crack, F/M, Horror, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:27:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26102686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stultiloquent/pseuds/stultiloquent
Summary: It was weirder now to come home without the big Cat awaiting eagerly on the couch. Roy had just about gotten used to falling asleep to the quiet again, without the purring and the licking, when he heard the noises one night.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Koriand'r, Roy Harper & Koriand'r & Jason Todd, Roy Harper/Koriand'r
Series: Cats!Jason [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1895185
Comments: 5
Kudos: 7





	The Cat Returns

**Author's Note:**

  * For [oliveeoyl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/oliveeoyl/gifts).



> Please read [the first fic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25480357) in this series first! Otherwise the front half of this fic won't make sense.

Things could change completely within two months. Roy learnt this lesson the first time he came back from a mission and found Kori cuddling a large animal in their bed, as though she had replaced him with the furless, pitiful-looking thing.

“He is not a thing, Roy! He has a name. And you were there when we rescued him. Don’t you recognise Jason?”

‘Jason’ mewled and blinked at him. Somehow, Roy couldn’t stay mad, even if sometimes the over-sized Cat did wake them up with all sorts of weird, wet noises in the middle of the night. _Grooming_ , the specialist they took Jason to had explained, after they failed to find a regular veterinarian who would admit him.

Kori would coo at Jason when he licked his skin, all the instincts and mannerisms of a cat despite not having much fur to groom through to begin with. Kori often coddled Jason, as if he were a newborn baby and not 180 pounds of pure muscle and terrifying. Perhaps the cats in Kori’s galaxy were shaped like this. Roy wasn’t one to judge.

And as time went on, Roy grew fond of the Cat as well. The creature proved intelligent and empathetic in his own way. He did his best to clean the house in their absence, and had surprisingly shown a predilection for all things culinary, creating all sorts of delightful dishes from scratch with his nimble fingers. He’d even started posting his little kitchen experiments and recipes online at Kori’s encouragement, so he wouldn’t be padding around in boredom when work called _both_ Kori and Roy away. Soon enough, Jason’s little projects had attracted the attention of cooking show networks, and with the promise of a brand deal and a placement at one of the rising Michelin starred restaurants, he set off to follow his true calling after a tearful goodbye.

That happened two months ago. It was weirder now to come home without the big Cat awaiting eagerly on the couch. When Roy holed up in his workshop, he sometimes still expected Jason to come up to his side, curling one friendly tail around his leg just to be close as Roy tinkered away. Roy had just about gotten used to falling asleep to the quiet again, without the purring and the licking, when he heard the noises one night.

“Jason?” Roy sat up groggily and squinted out at the far corners of the bedroom. Everything remained in its spot, still and undisturbed. The catbed was empty, cushion arranged neatly just as Jason had left it. When Roy strained his ears, there were only the sounds of Kori’s even breathing and his own slightly elevated one.

Roy furrowed his brows, about to go back to sleep, when the wet slurping noises began again.

He shot up and turned on the bedside lamp immediately. The weak, warm glow of the light spilled out across the floorboards, but yet again, everything seemed as it should be, with no signs of the big Cat.

“Babe,” Roy whispered, leaning over to Kori’s side of the bed. “Babe, you hear that?”

Kori snuffled a little, but remained fast asleep.

Roy cursed under his breath. He slid out of the bed quietly, picking up a spare baseball bat as he trod soundlessly towards the bedroom door.

He placed an ear against the door, trying to detect if the intruder was on the other side of the door, when he realised the noises were coming from inside the room.

He whirled around, bat raised at the ready, eyes darting all around the room. That’s when he saw it: a sliver of shadow that didn’t quite blend in with the rest of the bed’s shadow.

It was under the bed.

He took a steadying breath, slow inhale and quieter exhale still, so as not to spook whoever or whatever was beneath the bed before he could catch them. Carefully, he stepped back towards the bed, praying that none of the floorboards would creak right now.

He was about to kneel down and peer beneath the bed when Kori stirred, eyes fluttering open.

“Roy? What’re you doin’?” She mumbled.

It seemed to happen all at once. A mass of black, white, and red shot out from underneath the bed, Roy swung his bat with all his might, and Kori’s scream of surprise collided with the pained yowl of the intruder.

Kori’s scream solidified into a resounding “No!” 

Roy blinked at the intruder, now fallen at his feet, writhing and whimpering in pain. A feline creature, much smaller than Jason and with a colouring pattern he didn’t recognise. It wore an exaggerated red bowtie in place of a collar, and a red-and-white striped top hat lay crumpled by its side, knocked off in the collision. Unlike Jason, this creature was covered head to toe in black and white fur.

Did… did Kori adopt another Cat? 

“Dick, I’m so sorry!” Kori had already gotten up and was kneeling by the Cat’s side in a flash. She placed a careful hand on its tummy, earning her another hiss of pain. 

She turned her frown up at Roy. “Go get an ice-pack. Now.”

Boy, if looks could kill… Roy scurried out, and wondered if it was too late to tell Kori he was really more of a dog person.

*

“This is Dick, he’s Jason’s next of kin.”

They had moved to the living room. The Cat sat on the extra armchair, almost engulfed by the pleather if it weren’t for his top hat giving him an extra four inches in height. He lapped at the warm glass of milk Kori had fixed him. In his other paw he held the ice-pack against his belly, the fur there dampened by the condensation.

Roy blinked. He was beginning to feel like this was the new normal, and he was the alien of the household.

“I’m really sorry for the misunderstanding. Maybe we can start over? I’m Cat in the Hat, but you can call me Dick.” The Cat held out a small gloved paw, looking up at Roy expectantly with a smile.

Or maybe that was just the way his muzzle was, permanently curled up in mimicry of a smile. And he could speak. In a normal voice. Roy blinked again.

“Shake his paw, Roy.”

Roy complied, noting the firm grip despite there being only four fingers.

“Dick told me that Jason ran away from home when we found him! He’s been worried sick,” Kori explained. Dick nodded along, top hat bobbing. “But now he knows that Jason is alive and well. I’ve told Dickie that he is welcome to stay as long as he likes while we wait for Jason to return for Thanksgiving. It’ll be like a surprise family reunion. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

Roy opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

“We still have a few weeks, so I was thinking Dick can take the catbed while we shop for a smaller one?” 

“Please, there’s no need,” Dick said good-naturedly, still smiling. “I’ll only be here for a little while longer.” 

“Besides, I’ve been sleeping under your bed just fine.”

**Author's Note:**

> Cat in the Hat!Dick is yet another concept by the brilliant [Livia](https://clubolive.tumblr.com/post/624490083837476864/jerseydevious-said-no-more-catsjason-so-like), the creator of Cats!Jason.  
> This story was inspired by [sketch-elf](https://sketch-elf.tumblr.com/)'s cat being creepy.
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr [here](https://stvlti.tumblr.com/).


End file.
